2013-03-09 - The Statue of Mugoo-Nugoo: From the Shadows
Middle of the night, at the 'lair' of Blade and the White Fox. A sword slices through the ceiling and a figure, clad in a skintight black bodysuit, jumps down silently to the ground below. The figure, female, clad like a ninja, takes out a device and looks at it, as she follows it to where the Statue of Muggoo-Nugoo is hidden. The device she's holding is designed to be able to find a particular radio-isotopic invisible paint. Placed there during the ensuing combat with Talia Al-Ghul's rescue by the Ninja of the League of Assassins. His daughter injured during the failed attempt to seize the statue, Ra's has decided someone more experienced would be needed. At least one of the ninja managed to mark it. Too bad it had to be in Gotham. Because Lady Shiva (the woman in black) had made a promise to Ra's, the head of her Order, out of respect to his adversary, the Batman, to not kill within the city limits of Gotham. When she spots where the Statue is, she takes off her mask and smiles as she reaches to take it ... Blade being what he is, doesn't sleep. When the woman in black enters his lair, he detects the movement with his enhanced senses. An unfamiliar heartbeat is detected and he rises silently from the meditation position he was in when the woman entered. Taking his sheathed sword from it's stand, he moves quietly into the room where Shiva is. Moving into the room itself, he takes a moment to inspect the feminie figure that has invaded his personal space. "Put it down." He states in a gruff voice. Kaoru on the otherhand DID sleep, though her training had left her a very light sleeper. Sitting up rather suddenly, the woman would very quickly reach for her Kimono and Mask before moving to her Dai-sho stand to retrieve Duran. She took no chances as she darted throughout the lair towards the faint sounds that had caused her to stir. Lady Paper is sailing over the buildings silently on a huge paper air plane looking down at the streets and building below. She has taken upon her self to protect the city like others have. Sure she no Batman or Nightwing but she no slacker and has her own set of skills. She notice below someone on a roof with a sword slip into the building and she sure this is not a LARPer. She circles the building as the paper air plane decends onto the roof. Once it lands she climbs out and her ride breaks up into sheets of paper and form into a hood and cape. She quickly makes her way inside. It's not hard to follow the path of the intruder after all there is a hole in the ceiling. She drops down with a light thud on her feet. She not a ninja or a train warrior like the others. Shiva says, "After I retrieve what I came here for..." A flick of her wrist, and three shuriken slide into Shiva's hand which she sends at Blade before grabbing the statue with her other hand. Blade's hand blurs as he whips three shruiken of his own towards the ones that Shiva threw. They impact each other in midair, colliding as neither combatant is struck by the other's attack. He draws his sword from it's sheath and tosses it aside. "Then you're going to have to do better than that. Because the only way you leave here with that statue is if I am dead. And that is no small feat." He's not wearing his sunglasses, so his inhuman eyes are on display to anyone walking or dropping in. His gaze shifts slightly over to Lady Paper and then back to Shiva. The White Fox was quick, silent and prepared. Rushing down the hall to the main room where the statue had been initially kept, fully prepared to do violence. Hearing Blade speak as she joins the trio, The Fox crouches down and hisses threateningly at the two unfamiliars, crouching low and brandishing her katana in one hand, and the scabard in her offhand. Lady Paper frowns at the sight what has she walked into then she notice the statue it's the missing the newspapers were talking about normally she would leave and let these two fight it out as long as they don't harm others or damage the city she does not care if they duke it out but now there stolen goods that changes everything. She watches the two throw their shruiken and then the Fox enters hissing at her and holding a sword. She frowns more and her cape and hood breaks into the sheets of paper again and circle her in a ring at her waist level. She speaks up in a firm tone, "Hand over the statue and surrender to the the police and no one will be harmed. Her mother would be proud. Shiva smirks a bit. "If we were in any other city, that would be the outcome. She looks at the statue in her hand, putting it in the satchel, then at the other two who have joined in. "But as I'm just here for this, I'm going to be generous and allow each of you to stand down instead." she says as she flicks her hand again, where something on her wrist seems to go into her palm. Looks sort of like some sort of bladed weapon with a line attached to it. Bladesmirks faintly. "Please. Don't let that stop you." He suddenly moves with vampiric speed, striking out with his back at the back of the thighs of Shiva, attempting to hamstring her before spinning in place and aiming a solid kick towards her torso. Fox moved closer, seeing the moment that Shiva suddenly draws a weapon and takes this moment to strike, letting her blackened blade swing out. Her intention to strike at the thief's arms, not to dismember but simply to force her to drop the statue. Lady Paper sighs as the battle begins why can't things like this ever be easy. She focus on the person with the statue first if she has to she can deal with the other two if she has to but the statue is what counts here. she holds out a hand palm pointing away from paper body and the sheets of paper spinning around her turns into ninja stars and start to spin before flying at Shiva. While only paper each point of the star has a paper thin razer sharp point and edge. What happens next is a testament to why Lady Shiva is dangerous in a fight. A master of body-reading, he seems to have already moved to avoid Blade's kick so that she's not there by the time he kicks, at the same time reaching to grab Kaoru's arm and pulling her forward and using the Fox's own sword to block Blade's sword-strike attempt to slice at her hamstring. She moves behind Kaoru and uses a solid strike of her elbow into her back to send her towards her vampiric ally in this fight. The paper stars narrowly miss Shiva as she flips backwards to avoid being hit by them. "Impressive. Each of you. Not impressive enough... but impressive." Blade simply shoves Kaoru out of his way when Shiva sends her towards him. What they all fail to realize is that he isn't bound by typical 'heroic' feelings. He is as impassive towards humans as he is towards the monsters he hunts. "No. You're the interesting one. I don't know how you're able to dodge a blow that I know you can't see. But I'll figure it out." He growls when Paper and Kaoru get in his way. He hated that. It was why he preferred to work alone. With his blade in one hand, he withdraws the machine gun pistol from it's holster and holds it in his left hand. He fires at Shiva, but not head on. He blurs randomly from place to place while shooting. Unless she was a precog, she couldn't predict where he'd move to. Mostly because she'd have to be able to see him move. Fox 'urks' as they feel their weight suddenly pulled along, the momentum of the attack being turned against an ally. Fox would try to pull the swing but the onus was on Blade to handle the turned attack. As Fox tumbles to the side, they brace against the ground looking for an opening before rushing in, moving to sweep their scabard at Shiva's legs while thrusting the sword for the chest. Lady Paper frowns at the woman's speed and clear training to able to handle three foes at once. She recall her stars and rethinks bow she going to handle such a foe. She slowly circles never taken her eyes off the woman her heels clicking on the floor. She will need to send out someone that to much for the woman to handle but that's hard with the other two in the room. She then smiles as a idea comes to her. Sheets of paper fold and form sword like the stars they are razer sharp. She make half an dozen and sends them out surround the Shiva having them circling. Paper frowns and for a moment rethinks this tatic when Blade starts to blur and shot at random places if her or his luck is bad she could set off an attack at the wrong moment and hit him. She only worries for a moment before guessing if she hits him he will be fine. A sword behind Shiva flies at Shiva swing. Lady Shiva pulls a string from her wrist with a bladed hook attached to it, then somehow manages to dodge out of the way of each shot of the machine pistol. "You don't have to figure it out" She dodges out of the way of more shots, "Your body betrays your moves even if your mind does not. It's not something you can necessarily help." She uses her slimline cabled sai to counter Lady Paper's sword strike, sending the line around L.P.'s neck and sword wielding arm and her as a human shield against the White Fox's thrust. She says from behind Lady Paper, to Blade, "And although you have no problem with killing your allies to get at your quarry, I suspect she does." motioning at Kaoru. Blade looks at the woman and then at his gun. He tosses the gun away and then sticks the sword into the concrete ground. "The Fox has a concious, yes. But I don't. The woman you have there, I consider an invader of my dwelling just like you. I don't care if she lives or dies. I don't even care if you can read my body movements. Because there is nothing you can do to stop me. You don't have a weapon that will kill me. And I will outlast you in any physical confrontation. I am not human and not bound by their limitations. Eventually, you will tire. I will not. And I will kill you." The Fox grunts loudly as one of those paper swords zip past them slicing a hole in her kimono, swinging her blade through the air and chopping the paper weapon in twain. Realizing that things were not going well for their allies, they place the grip of their sword against the scabbard, causing the weapon to shift, a gruesome dual bladed naginata now in their hands. More range and power, letting several light jabs come in towards Shiva, though more accurately, striking for the statue. Hoping to dislodge it from Shiva's possession, only to suddenly lower her weapon, hoping for an opening. Fox grunted "You dishonor yourself, coward!" she finally shouts! Lady Paper grabs at the cord around her neck trying to get air into her lungs but she not panic after all her mother had trained her well and this was covered in that training. She grints her teeth knowing she does not have much time but she has the woman in close. Her suit the pretty white suit that might show off a little to much is not fabric but made of paper like her cape and hood were. They break apart into the sheets and quickly fly at the woman behind her. The paper goals are wrap up Shiva from head to toe like a mummy. Shiva is actually surprised at THAT. Out comes her sword which slashes at the paper going around her legs before it can wrap her up, and she flips backwards, taking out several smoke capsules and dropping them on the ground, filling part of the room with smoke. After which another line shoots out from the cloud and hits into the ceiling near the hole from which Shiva entered. While Shiva has her talents, Blade has his. When the smoke fills the room, he doesn't need to see her. He can hear her heartbeat, along with Kaoru's and Paper's. And the distinct smell of her blood. He crouches slightly and then leaps up towards the hole in the roof, catapulting himself high into the air and through the hole. Retrieving one of the knives at his belt, he flicks it down right next to the rope itself. It'll hit something, whether it's Shiva or not is up to fate. If nothing else, he'd be standing there waiting for her to emerge. She was not leaving with the statue. The knife sails at the rope. Though it's not actually a rope - it's a carbon filament/nylon mesh... which needs something a bit harder than silver to cut. Lady Paper feels something around her waist to yank her back - the other end of the line which is trying to zip her up towards the hole in the roof ... as well as the oncoming blade (blade the silver object, not Blade the Daywalker warrior). As this happens, Lady Shiva calls up to Blade, "I don't have to outlast you - just outthink you." She pushes at her ear. "Merlyn?" At which point arrows start flying at anyone who happens to be on the roof. Lady Shiva runs for one of the exits, the satchel with her prize on her back, the statue semi-sticking out from it as she flips over The White Fox. Kaoru has partially disconnected. Kaoru takes the opprotunity to begin spining her naginata, her burst of speed causing a slight vortex within the smoke before she plants the weapon suddenly causing the smoke to begin to disperse towards the outer confines of the room! Leaping up into the air using her weapon as a form of pole vault, the fox takes a wide, powerful swing at the woman, how dare she display such dishonor and then try to run away. Fox was angry, and put her all into the swing! Lady Paper is dispointed to woman got away from her mummy wrap attack and starts to send paper to cover the hole that's when she feels the yank at her waist that yanks her back making her lose contration and the paper floats down to the ground lip for a moment. LP relize where she heading and sees the knife coming at her. The paper springs to life and a stack of it throws it self between the blade and her stopping it. She then focus on the next problem she heading for the hole and the roof . She forms a few paper spikes each razer sharp and send them into the sheet rock around the hook in the ceiling and weakens it to the point the hook comes out from her weight. Lady Piper manages to form paper spikes, narrowly preventing her from being speared by a flying silver blade. Again, blade the object, not Blade the merciless half-vampire vampire hunter. And on the roof, a flurry of arrows is being fired from various directions by Merlyn and his people as a distraction for Shiva to make her getaway. The getaway, however, has hit a snag. Shiva flips over Kaoru, twisting her body to narrowly avoid being hit, but the blade of the White Fox brushes against the statue in the satchel, slicing off a part of it. As Shiva lands, she takes the statue out and sees something BAD is happening with it. She's not sure what, but when an ancient mystical statue starts glowing and shaking, you don't want it on your back. So instead she throws it at Kaoru and flips backwards.. Just as the statue explodes with blinding white light - shards flying everywhere. Some of the shards actually hit into Kaoru in the process, shattering her mask. When the light dissipates, Shiva is gone. Blade glances around when arrows begin to fall on his location. He snatches one out of the air that was aimed at his heart and growls as he crushes it in his grip. When everything plays out and Shiva tosses the statue back into the hole before it blows up. Blade stares at the hole for a moment before turning and dropping the two stories to the ground. He gets into his car, and then drives away. Kaoru hits the ground, her weapon planting itself in the stone floor next to her as she clutches at her face, that strange blood of hers, red with veins of black flowing from the wounds as she kicked her feet about, trying to get a hold of herself. The mask she wore was shattered, shards of the statue imbedded in her flesh. Lady Paper pulls herself up through the hole thanks to her paper just in time to see the statue go flying and then the flash as the statue explodes. She blinded for a moment and when she can see again Shiva and Blade are gone. She then spots Kaoru on the ground and gasp rushing over to her and kneels down, "calm down. I'll get some help." She pulls a cell phone (where she was keeping that it's not clear) she calls 911 and explains they need medical help